Gyokusho Osho
by Raven Luparyu84
Summary: During a trip Nara Shikamaru finds an old puzzle and Haruno Sakura receives a key that allows her to see into the hearts of people. After Shikamaru puts it together he now finds his life now infinitely more troublesome then he could possible imagine…


Gyokusho Osho: the Chunin Exam Finals

There were several things that Shikamaru found troublesome in his life, women, work....Actually those were the main banes of his existence. Still nothing in his training could have prepared him for this at all. Sure, the Chunin Exams were highly publicized and made a big deal about with jutsu and pride of the village and all but nothing prepared him for facing well…_This. _

"You want to play a Game of Darkness with me ne?" He asked for a second time in front of his competitor, Temari of the Suna that for some in-explicit reason had the Sennen Necklace hidden beneath her hitai-ite pinching his nose in frustration. This was the first time…No scratch that this was the second time that he'd been challenged to a Game of Darkness. First was with that bandit guy that he'd stumbled upon in the Forest of Death. Funny, the bespectacled kid was actually nice at the beginnings of the Exam…Who know that he had an item with a dark spirit latched to it. It had taken both him and Sakura by surprise when his team was helping her team. Then again Sasuke's timely recovery had complicated things slightly before Yami was able to shield them from their teammates' eyes. Unfortunately that meant that the team from Oto had been almost massacred until Sakura had managed to stop Sasuke. Afterwards she said that they'd run into Kabuto in the woods were he reveled his Sennen Ring to her.

Meanwhile the proctor that was standing in-between them now looked utterly confused as to where this was going. Course, that was to be expected considering aside from Sakura no one else had a Sennen item to speak so naturally no one except her would know what a Game of Darkness was. So right now most of the shinobi in the audience were already whispering and wondering why they were just staring at each other instead of fighting each other.

"Terms," he said as he allowed his nakama to take control within an instant allowing himself in the backseat of his mind where he could observe. He could see from the corner of his eye that the proctor had jumped back from the sheer amount of chakra and dark magic that was being exuded from him or rather the Puzzle that hung around his neck. Again he couldn't blame him; Yami could be rather violent with his tempers unlike him, his aibou, and also his usage of dark energies and his chakra output was similar to that freak from Suna.

_Aibou, _he thought with now a smirk as oppose to horror when Sakura had first told him there was another Shikamaru inside of him. It was as of now seven years ago when he looking for Sakura because Ino had asked him too since her family needed her and he was nearby. Tch, troublesome thing that it was he'd found Sakura crying in the bushes of the playground over being teased about her forehead…_again. _Suddenly Shikamaru had spotted a strange traveler unloading his cart in the marketplace. That in itself was no cause for alarm except for some strange reason only he and Sakura could see him. Noticing them the merchant had beckoned them forward only the present them with the items or at least Sakura received hers and he received the pieces of the Puzzles. It had taken Shikamaru four months to solve the Puzzle and the results were immediate. Sakura's Key had allowed her more insight to people then she ever thought possible while the people that annoyed or hurt either him or Sakura suddenly ended up mad…Or sometimes worse. The results as thought were quite spectacular. Afterwards they'd formed a friendship secret from the others in their class. No longer were his friends even outside of Sakura a target of abuse since strange things seemed to happen to their tormentors...

Several instances had occurred because of the Puzzle. Like the girl Ami who had been teasing Sakura, she'd been found later screaming about a horrible monster attacking her. After no genjutsu had been found upon her she was sent to the psyche ward. The jerk of an Uchiha had ended up crippled with is legs chopped off after starting a brawl that almost got both him and Sakura killed. Frankly Shikamaru was less then keen on hearing on how Yami managed to pull that off. Worst off was that particular incident was just before the Uchiha massacre compounding the whole incident entirely. That night was the worst actually. The Puzzle had trembled as he was laying down talking late into the night with Yami. Sakura told him that she could have sworn that she saw the glow of another Sennen item that night as well. Still that was all in the past and this was now.

"We both fight in this arena without taijutsu. Anyone to use it suffers a Penalty Game."

"Fine, but what if you lose?"

"I won't, I have foreseen my victory." She assured with a rather smug smirk playing across her face as she leaned into a battle crouch to better use her fan. "But if the off chance I should lose, I suffer a Penalty game of your choosing, same goes for you."

"Funny thing is," Yami smirked also getting into a fighting stance allow them better use of Shikamaru's _Kagemane no jutsu _after allwhere they were going the two were going to need desperately_._.. "I don't lose either."

With those words the whole arena changed with magic flowing from his Puzzle and her Necklace immersing the arena with their aura and power. Shikamaru was sure that any shinobi worth his salt could feel the change in the air after that. None surprisingly he heard several cry out in alarm. Looking at Temari, Yami bowed and soon the game began…

* * *

_So Pharaoh you've decided play eh? _Yami Bakura smiled as he hid behind his cat ANBU mask. Already the old fool was calling for ANBU to dispel the genjutsu that now covered the field with dark fog. Not that it was going to any of them any good. The game was set and the players ready. All that remained was the finish. Even as they assembled he could feel the magical energies converge and swirl. Suddenly he felt one of the Sennen items behind him and looking back noticed that the girl, Sakura she was called, was now looking at him with a cold glare. Yami Bakura smirked. _So she can feel items too, ne? Well no matter even she can't interfere with this Game of Darkness. _

With that thought suddenly he could felt his host consciousness struggling desperately once again for control of his body. It was rather pathetic really, thinking that he could over power a three thousand old spirit of his caliber. In fact it was downright amusing actually. None of the boy's skill with ninjutsu, ijutsu or genjutsu could help him here. After all this was something far more advanced then their rather pathetic jutsu. Not even that pitiful Hebi Sannin…He could no feel the tension growing worse as the Host fought even harder for its body so that Bakura couldn't hurt his master. _Ah yes you serve him well. _Yami Bakura thought viciously. _Remember now though you serve ME! _

Smirking he considered just letting the Host tire himself out only to decide that it would be best to turn him over control for now. After all he had an invasion to take part in…If the Game of Darkness didn't interfere with Gaara's match that is. That said he did depart from the boy's body allowing him to crumple from the exertion of fighting the spirit in his mind. The dark spirit chuckled at the boy even as he watched him pick himself up all under the glare of Sakura with her friend Ino staring at the exchange with a confused look.

* * *

Sakura could feel the dark spirit in the arena, she know that it was close just not this close. Why did the spirit return? She'd throw the Ring off of Kabuto in the Forest of Death once they had gotten to the tower. How was it possible that it was back now?

The kunoichi knew that nothing was what it seemed with the Sennen items or anything related to them and even now their power still surprised her. She know that hiding this and namely her Sennen Key was really a bad idea for the team especially the unity side of it but the fact was that she wasn't exactly sure if they'd believe half of the things that she had seen for herself. From monsters coming to life to huge Shogi games with souls on the line and so on, it was all too much to take in now. Even now her best friend Ino was staring in shock at both Sakura and the field which was now being swarmed with ninja looking for Shikamaru and Temari. Not that they'd be able to find them there.

Of all the things that could happen this was the worst. From the discovery of another Sennen item to the fact the wielder was from Suna. As Shikamaru would say the whole situation was troublesome. She took a brief at the field only to notice that the two had reappeared with both looking shaken but their sanity and more importantly their souls were still intact. _Thank Kami-sama. _She thought as she watched the two head back to the contestant stands even as the crowd was muttering confused at the events. As she observed the crowds she felt a long built up sign escape from her that soon turned into a muffled growl as she noticed that the ANBU with the spirit had disappeared.

_Figures, it is just like that spirit to disappear. It's like a hebi, like Orochimaru. _She hissed mentally her inner Sakura joining in with a series of curses that would have made even Naruto blush.

"Ano, Sakura." Ino leaned over Chouji who was still staring at the field in shock.

"What is going on?"

"You don't wanna know." Sakura replied as the announcer called forth Gaara and Sasuke to the field. _One things for sure Shikamaru, Yami and I are going to have a looong talk about this. _Unfortunately she was unaware that the talk would have to wait till after the invasion of Konoha….

**A/N: Just a one-shot what if that struck me. Maybe it'll become story then again maybe not. Can't tell but please R&R and tell me what you think. **

******Gyoku**sho **O**sho- the king in Shogi- Figured that it would make sense if Shikamaru's favorite game was featured here.  



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